Purpose: To design and implement a lactation medicine curriculum to address curricular gaps in pre-clinical undergraduate medical education and better prepare third-year medical students for their core clerkship experiences.
Background: According to 2019 data from the Centers for Disease Control, women of childbearing age, and thus potentially lactating patients, represent approximately 19.6% of the US population. Despite their prevalence in the patient population, medical students and physicians generally receive little education on lactation and tend to be poorly prepared to counsel these patients appropriately on breastfeeding.
Methods: A novel lactation medicine curriculum was designed and delivered asynchronously to third-year medical students through a virtual platform. Participants engaged in multiple-choice pre- and post-exposure assessments before and after viewing the two-hour lecture series, respectively. Only participants who completed both assessments and consented to participate were included in the study. Pre- and post-intervention assessment results were compared using paired, 1-tail T-tests, with an a-level of 0.05.
Results: There was no significant difference in baseline lactation knowledge between gender groups. Only 2/63 had prior personal lactation experience (self or partner). Participant scores in Lactation Knowledge improved significantly after exposure to the curriculum (29.4% to 66.8%, p< 0.001). Participants developed self-efficacious attitudes toward the role of healthcare providers in lactation medicine (p< 0.001), and following participation in the lecture series, they felt more prepared to support, counsel and manage lactating patients (p< 0.001).
Discussions: A two-hour lecture series was effective at improving students’ knowledge in and attitudes toward lactation medicine, as well as their confidence in supporting and managing lactating patients.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2023, Student, Resident, Faculty, Clerkship Director, Clerkship Coordinator, Osteopathic Faculty, Medical Knowledge, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, UME, Assessment, Lecture, Public Health, General Ob-Gyn,
Katherine Porter, MD, CLC; San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium; Amanda Hall, Medical Student; Emily Lyon, Medical Student, B.S., B.A.; Kayla Hudson, B.S.; Donna Boucher, M.D.;
